This month's African Heritage Celebration, held during a year when ethnic diversity has decreased among Marquette students, takes on a new significance, according to some university professors.

Nicholas Creary, assistant professor of history, said in some respects, it is more important and urgent to have this kind of programming here so students of different ethnicities and nationalities are visible on campus and receive support.

A goal of the celebration is to look at Africa in a much broader global context, Creary said, by talking about issues that not only pertain to black people but with people of African descent and the African continent.

Marlene De La Cruz-Guzman, assistant dean for multicultural programs, said the purpose of cultural programming is twofold: to make students feel comfortable and to inform prospective students that cultural opportunities exist at Marquette.

Creary said events like films, speeches, music concerts and dance showcases began with Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday on Jan. 19 and will continue until March 4.

De La Cruz-Guzman said when planning the event, her team strove to make sure all Marquette students could find something of interest.

Creary presented a film called "FLAME" about women and their involvement in the war to liberate Zimbabwe.

He said he also is involved in the African Research and Scholarship Day on Feb. 10, an event where African historians from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Marquette students and professors will gather to discuss and present research about African history. The event will take place at 4 p.m. in the Henke Lounge of the Alumni Memorial Union.

Tonight, Steven Taylor, associate professor of French, will lead a discussion of three African-Francophone films starting today. The films, spoken in French and the West African language of Julu with English subtitles, will all be shown at 6 p.m. in Room A of the Raynor Library Lower Level.

According to Taylor, the film "Keita: The Heritage of the Griot" combines several stories in one. Part of the film takes place in the 13th century, while the other part is in the 20th century.

"A Griot is very important in the historical culture development of West Africa," Taylor said. "It is a man or woman who keeps in his/her mind the history, geneology and culture of the entire ethnic grouping … a living computer with knowledge and insight."

The film tells the story of a young boy going to a European school and undergoing an identity crisis, Taylor said. The Griot explains to the boy why he should be proud to be who he is.

Taylor, who teaches a course on African-Francophone films, said African cinema is "a transposition of story-telling on the screen" and though meant to be educational, it is always interesting.

He said a lot of students have enjoyed his class over the years and hopes these presentations will share his love of African-Francophone films with even more students.

Taylor will also show the comedy "La Vie est Belle" on Feb. 19 and the story of a woman's independence and success, "Faat-Kine," on Feb. 26.

According to Taylor, ethnic celebrations should be on-going events.

"I think culture, heritage and tradition fully merit our attention all through the year," Taylor said.

Creary agreed.

"It is important that we have these celebrations," Creary said, "because otherwise, the Marquette campus would be a more dull type of place."

According to De La Cruz-Guzman, this is the second year that Marquette is celebrating an African Heritage Celebration rather than Black History Month, which only includes the short month of February.

"The program is seven weeks long so we can include everyone — students who are Caribbean, African-American, or from all over the continent," she said.

"My idea was to move beyond multicultural or intercultural events but to encourage a cross-cultural dialogue and engagement."